


Losing Genny

by SansSerif



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Angst, Episode: s04e06 The Doctor's Daughter, Family, Gen, Hath, Memories, Soldiers, Write Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-11
Updated: 2013-03-11
Packaged: 2017-12-04 23:47:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/716454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SansSerif/pseuds/SansSerif
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Write up of Genny's death in The Doctor's Daughter -- The Doctor has yet another Time Lord taken from him, reminding him just how painful it is to be a soldier.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Losing Genny

**Author's Note:**

> Due to Genny's name being derived from 'generated anomaly' I insist on using Genny instead of Jenny.

Planets took days to burn. Bullets stole lives in mere minutes. And as the Doctor stared down at his dying not-daughter his mind couldn’t catch up enough to tell which hurt more.

“New world…” she whispered as she gazed up at the sky but the Doctor couldn’t look away from her. “It’s beautiful.”

“Genny. Be strong now,” the Doctor said, trying to brace her, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. “You hold on, you hear me? We’ve got things to do, you and me, eh? Eh?” He struggled to keep the smile on his face because she couldn’t be dying, not after he had found another one, not after another Time Lord had been made. “We can go anywhere.”

She squeezed out a smile as she looked up at him, tears in her eyes from the pain in her heart. His own hearts felt like they were being ripped in two, torn from his chest as he lost once again. Genny had carried his dreams, the dreams he hadn’t let live in so many years because they used to belong to his children, his real children. And as he knelt there, holding her body and feeling the life leaving it, all he could see were his dreams dying yet again. 

“Everywhere,” he added, his voice becoming frantic. Everywhere. His last chance to show his children the universe was dying in his arms and he hadn’t had a chance to show her more than this planet that was just beginning. “You can choose.” It was like that game that he had played with his son on the nights that he could be home. Name a planet, any planet. See if Dad has been to it, what adventures he had had. Or if he hadn’t been then his father. Or his father’s father. And they would plan which planets they would go to once S’ltho was old enough. 

A painful breath rattled Genny as she smiled tremulously. “That sounds good.” 

Letting go of her side, he reached up, stroking her cheek. “You’re my daughter,” he said, the love he held for all his children in his voice. Love that he had hidden away since Gallifrey burned. “And we’ve only just got started. You’re gonna be great.” He could see the pain was overtaking her and he knew that he only had moments when he wanted centuries. “You’re going to be more than great. You’re going to be _amazing_. Genny? Genny?” 

Her body was stilling and he couldn’t keep his family straight. He held her and in her he saw N’mra, in his arms where she belonged. He was holding her as she died and holding N’mra as she died, and his children as they died and his dreams with them. He was back in the Time War, watching his past and his future and all his reasons for living burn to save the universe. 

She went still and it hit him, really hit him deep inside, that he had lost one more person to another stupid war that didn’t matter. Shakily, the Doctor raised his daughter up to kiss her forehead a last time and as his lips were pressed to her skin his mind was racing, knowing he had to make this the last time that someone died for him. He had to end this. And then he realized that maybe she reminded him of his family for a reason because—

“Two hearts,” the Doctor said, looking up to Martha. If he ever needed a miracle it was now. “Two hearts, she’s like me. If we wait…? Just wait?” 

But Martha shook her head. “There’s no sign, Doctor. There’s no regeneration. She’s like you but… but maybe not enough.”

All those memories of his family were still flooding his mind. Genny and the short time that they had had together were blurring with N’mra and his natural children. “No,” he said, as he realized. “Too much. That’s the truth of it. She was too much like me.” He had burned his planet. That was unforgivable. He could not have his people back, not even one of them. 

Slowly, the Doctor lowered Genny to the ground, giving her one last kiss before standing, ready to tell them how to build this new planet. And then he saw him.

General Cobb. Weak General Cobb who was so sure that the war must go on. General Cobb, who had shot at the Doctor even when he had known that Genny would shield him. Too immersed in memories of the war, the Doctor reacted as the soldier that he used to be.

Moving fast enough that no one could stop him, the Doctor was on his feet, diving for the gun that lay next to Cobb. The metal was still warm in his hands and the Doctor felt the power behind this piece of human-wrought steel. Human death bringer. Without a conscious thought, the Doctor cocked the gun and aimed it at Cobb’s temple, radiating fury.

The chamber went still but no one moved to stop him. I’ve done this before, the Doctor told himself. I’ve killed traitors. I’ve taken lives. This is no different. He could feel Martha and Donna watching him but neither of them moved to stop him. They knew it was his right. This man, this weak, old, war-mongering man had taken his last bit of unexpected family from him. What right did he have to live? They were both soldiers and soldiers knew what was expected when a treacherous act had been committed. So why couldn’t the Doctor shoot him? 

Because the gun was too familiar in his hand. Because that was what started this whole thing, guns in angry people’s hands. And because he couldn’t let it continue.

Kneeling, the Doctor stared Cobb in the face. “I never would,” he said. “Have you got that? I. Never. Would.” Each word was punctuated with a wave of the gun butt, nearly smacking Cobb in the face. 

The Doctor stood, fury still running through his veins but tempered now by sadness and regret, all he truly remembered of war. “When you start this new world… This world of Human and Hath… Remember that. Make the foundation of this society!” He was shouting now and he didn’t care because this was too important to moderate. “A man who never would!” 

The sorrow took over the fury. With a careless toss, the Doctor rid himself of the gun, deflated by all he had seen. He could feel the fear from Martha and Donna but he didn’t care. Now was his time. His time to mourn the last Time Lord he would ever know.


End file.
